The Beauty of Practicing Yoga Outside

For most Chicagoans, summer months mean switching the exercise routine from an indoor gym to outside in nature. Locals want to take advantage of the warm weather by walking, running, biking, or swimming in our Great Lake or the nearby pool.

But what about your yoga practice? If you prioritize outdoor activities, then you may spend less time on your mat. And in the absence of a regular practice, yogis may lose flexibility and balance as well as the peaceful mindset and salve to the spirit that yoga provides.

A shift in scheduling can help some accomplish both outdoor exercise and yoga at the studio. An early morning yoga practice can free up time to enjoy the beauty of the outdoors later in the day or evening.

But not everyone has time for both indoor yoga and outdoor activities on a regular basis.

My solution? Practice yoga outdoors. An outdoor yoga practice is not only efficient but also a uniquely beautiful experience. Here are two big reasons why you should move your yoga practice outdoors during Chicago’s summer months, along with three ways to do it.

6:00 a.m. yoga at Glencoe Beach with Deb Wineman and Reach Yoga

Connection to nature

We love yoga because it helps us tune into inner sensations. Yoga outside adds outdoor stimuli including the sights, sounds, smells, and sensations of the environment—another way to experience “union” with the world around us.

Cheri Weber, a Wilmette-based yoga teacher and practitioner, finds that an outdoor practice provides a deeper appreciation of nature. She observes, “When I practice in my backyard…closing my eyes doesn’t bring darkness; it’s a scene in full color. It’s as if I’m watching a time lapse video of nature in progress while I practice.”

Outdoor yoga can provide food for at least three of the five senses during practice: sight (the sky, trees, flowers), sound (wind, waves, birdsong), and touch (the feel of the breeze or the sun’s heat). Depending on where you practice, the location might also offer the scent of flowers or water.

Yoga teacher Shalaka Tamhane concurs that an outdoor practice offers a uniquely yogic experience: “Asanas are a reflection of nature. Tree pose with the trees, pigeon pose with the pigeons, and many other shapes feel more natural outdoors.”

Ways and means

Where and how to take your yoga practice outside? Many students of yoga find their outdoor yoga on a casual or occasional basis. Highland Park–based yoga teacher and student Lauri Stern makes it a point to practice outside whenever possible, whether on vacation, while teaching a private lesson, on a student’s deck, or at the beach. She especially enjoys practicing near bodies of water: “Ujjayi breath can literally be matched to the rhythmic pattern of the waves.”

Other yogis find that their own backyards provide freedom and privacy. A few pieces of equipment (mat, critical props, perhaps a Bluetooth speaker) placed in a basket near the back door can enable spur-of-the-moment outdoor practice whenever time and weather permit.

For those who prefer to practice in a group, several Chicago yoga studios and teachers offer options for outdoor practice during the summer—and many of those options come at no cost. For example, Deb Wineman and Reach Yoga offer free yoga on the pier at Glencoe Beach on early Friday mornings (6:00 a.m.) with the support of the Glencoe Park District. Highland Park resident Bob Bernstein is a regular at these classes. Bob says, “When I think of summer and all its gifts, I really think of connecting to the world around me. There are few sensations that provide a better opportunity to do that than to be at the beach on a yoga mat.”

For Glencoe-based Mike Illian, the early morning timing is key: “The arrangement of the pier and the layout of the practice allow one to actually see the sunrise over Lake Michigan, while hearing the waves lap right next to you and feeling the morning breeze.”

Other group options include outdoor yoga festivals and charity yoga events; sign up for the Yoga Chicago newsletter to get notified when these are scheduled. Yoga on stand-up paddleboards adds another dimension of sensation and challenge.

Worth it

Practicing outside is not without its complications. Some yoga students prefer to avoid attracting attention on a beach or in a park. Or they may find the uneven surface of the ground makes balancing difficult.

After practice, it can be difficult to remove dirt or sand from your favorite yoga mat. And Chicago summers aren’t without uncomfortable extremes—leaving would-be outdoor yogis contending with humidity and sweat, chilly breezes, or mosquitos.

Sometimes the stumbling blocks are more peculiar. Winnetka-based yogi Linda O’Toole recalls, “I once had a huge sun umbrella come crashing down on my face during savasana (final relaxation).”

But for some, it’s all worth it. Judy Roin, a student and teacher of yoga for decades, takes joy in an outdoor practice: “After being cooped up for nine months with filtered air, artificial light, and layers of clothing, the unabashed freedom of practicing anywhere outside is nourishment for my soul as well as stored fuel for next winter’s practice.”

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Dani Petrie is the owner of Reach Yoga, 688 Vernon Avenue, Glencoe, Illinois. She may be reached at dani@reachyogaglencoe.com. The website is reachyogaglencoe.com.